Update on US welfare reform

Here is a concise overview of what has happened in the US since President Clinton canned welfare "as we know it" in 1996.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 was signed by President Clinton on Aug. 22, 1996. The law has transformed the way the nation helps its neediest citizens. Gone is the promise of a government check for parents raising children in poverty. In its place are 50 state programs to help those parents get jobs, says USA Today.

In 1996 4.4 million families were on AFDC (similar to our DPB). In December 2005 that number has dropped to 1.9 million. (Follow the US Today link for state by state statistics).

(In New Zealand in December 1995 there were 108,627 families on DPB. By December 2005 that number had dropped to 106,302.)

Not happy to stop there, the Bush administration renewed the push earlier this year by introducing regulations requiring states to get a further 50 percent of those still on welfare into jobs.

And we call ourselves a 'can do' country.